


He (probably) won't admit it

by Owlxle



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: M/M, Wayleska - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2020-02-09 13:22:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18638956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owlxle/pseuds/Owlxle
Summary: Bruce Wayne wakes up on the same couch as Jeremiah Valeska with no idea how he ended up there.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to all of the wonderful folks over on the Jeremiah Valeska Discord server. I wouldn't have had any inspiration without you.

Bruce stirred slightly, feeling the early morning light hit his face, he was laying on a comfortable, plush surface, but it didn’t seem quite right.. He fought off the sleepiness and forced his eyes open, Bruce realized that he had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there.

The young man quickly registered the vaguely familiar presence that he was sharing space with.

Carefully, Bruce shifted into an upright position. The young Wayne gazed at the other man’s unnaturally pale face, he wore an expression that could only be described as pained, not even in sleep did he appear peaceful. It made Bruce’s heart ache a bit to think about.

“Better circumstances,” Bruce whispered to himself as his gaze swept over the rest of Jeremiah’s body. The young billionaire prepared quietly roll off of the sofa he had been sleeping on- with Jeremiah?

None of his clothing was askew, ( _Why would it be, Bruce? Come on, dude._ ) his black turtleneck was still shielded by his dark trench coat, and his pants were still firmly on his person. Only his boots were missing, and if Bruce were to be completely honest, they weren’t the most comfortable footwear. Bruce didn’t have the time to think about what might have happened to put him in this situation, he had to escape from the clutches of this madman an-...

Bruce’s train of thought was derailed by a soft whimper escaping the lips of the other man. His chest flared with an aching pain; in that moment he wanted nothing more than to comfort the man he was once so very close to, the man that had fallen so far and become so monstrous. Gotham’s heir wondered how Jerome had actually gotten to his brother, and Bruce’s mind (once again) fell into imagining how Jeremiah must’ve felt knowing that his greatest strength had become his downfall. An ending that was too quick and very painful, Bruce thought angrily.

Again, Bruce was pulled from his mind by Jeremiah’s cries, this time, they were louder and more upsetting to hear. Any trace of anger left Bruce’s being, replaced with pity when he observed Jeremiah.

Jeremiah let out another whimper and Bruce flinched, he wanted to pretend that the noise had simply caught him off guard, but he couldn’t lie to himself, he hated seeing the other man in distress, despite everything.

The engineer’s soft cries escalated into harsh sobs and he convulsed violently. Bruce felt the urge to save him from the terror he was experiencing but he didn’t know what Jeremiah would do once he was awake.

The young Wayne instead tried to refocus his attention on escape. Bruce observed the room from the new angle and took notice of an exit that he hadn’t noticed previously, but just as he moved to leave, Jeremiah’s sobs finally began to die out.

Bruce wanted desperately to stay and interact with Jeremiah but he was still very aware of the threat that he presented when he was conscious.


	2. Chapter 2

Bruce took slow steps towards the door, very careful not to alert the sleeping man. He turned the doorknob gently and slowly, Bruce did his damndest to make sure that he did  _ not _ disturb Jeremiah, who finally appeared to be resting peacefully (even if it also appeared that the slightest sound could jar him). 

When Bruce turned the doorknob to its furthest position a small click sounded through the room. Bruce was sure that the click was the sound of something activating, the start of a process, but he hadn’t the slightest idea of what it could be.

As if it was responding to Bruce’s nonverbal query a bell rang loudly for a few seconds. There was no doubt in the young man’s mind, Jeremiah was awake now.

Bruce dove behind the sofa to hide from the madman. He expected Jeremiah’s nasally voice to call for him to recall how he came to realize that 'they were meant for each other’, but instead, he heard a voice he had thought he would never hear again. 

"Bruce?" The engineer called, "If you can hear me I want you to know… I'm… I'm sorry, Bruce, I-I really am. I don't know how to stop" 

Bruce did his best to keep his emotions at bay when he spoke, "What do you mean, Jeremiah?"

Jeremiah took a few calming breaths before sitting back down, confident that if Bruce wanted to he would show himself. "I never wanted to hurt you, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Bruce." Warm tears dripped down the madman's face as he buried his head in his hands.

Bruce stood up and approached Jeremiah carefully and slowly, "Hey, don't cry, it's alright, I'm here." He cursed himself for such an emotional reaction to the situation, this was the man that nearly killed Selina.

"You shouldn't be.." Jeremiah whined, "It's too dangerous for you to be around me. Especially when I'm like this…" he gestured vaguely to himself.

"When you're like what, Jeremiah?"

"Unstable… that's when it happens- when I lose control."

"Do you want me to leave then?" 

"No!" Jeremiah erupted, frantically,  "You… you can't leave me... please.." He shook his head "It's what's safest for him" "I can't be without him!" "It's so I don't hurt him! I can't... I can't hurt him again."

"Miah, snap out of it!" Bruce bellowed

Jeremiah's eyes widened as he looked up at Bruce, "You… you called me 'Miah'?" 

"I'm sorry, It- I just- force of habit." He sputtered.

“No, please, don’t apologize. I- I don’t mind.” Jeremiah said, trying to calm himself down.

“It’s nice to hear that nickname again.” He admitted, wiping away tears.

“It’s nice to be able to say it again.” Bruce sat down next to Jeremiah.

They stayed in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

“Jeremiah?”

Jeremiah sighed, almost disappointedly. “Yes?”

“How did I end up here- in this place I mean- physically?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took me so long, folks! And it's not even longer than the first one :/  
> Next chapter will likely hurt your heart... more.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how long it'll take for me to write the second chapter, hopefully, it'll be a bit longer than this one.


End file.
